[For Kids] Handmade Ideas for Hanging Hina Decorations You’ll Want to Display for the Hina Festival
As Hinamatsuri approaches, have you noticed “tsurushi-bina,” decorations where small dolls like hina dolls are hung on strings? Many families may display them at home.
It’s said that tsurushi-bina began with people decorating items made from fabric scraps.
In this article, we’ve gathered handmade tsurushi-bina ideas perfect for Hinamatsuri.
We introduce a wide range—from beautiful ornaments overflowing with traditional Japanese charm to ones you can make with origami or items from 100-yen shops.
Please use these ideas as inspiration and try making tsurushi-bina to brighten up your Hinamatsuri.
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[For Kids] Decorations for Hinamatsuri! A Collection of DIY Tsurushi-bina Ideas (1–10)
Cozy felt hanging hina dolls
We’ll introduce a cozy felt hanging Hina decoration featuring felt Hina dolls and point accents like paper lanterns (bonbori) and felt.
Prepare felt, large and small pom-poms, glue, toothpicks, and construction paper to get started.
Cut the felt and make the faces and bodies of the Emperor and Empress dolls using pom-poms as the base; assemble and attach each part with a hot glue gun.
For the bonbori lanterns, cut the construction paper into narrow strips and glue them evenly around a central ring.
Make diamond-shaped mochi (hishimochi) out of felt, then create a decorative three-color dango using pom-poms and toothpicks; attach everything to kite string to finish.
Be careful not to burn yourself when using the hot glue gun.
Papercut Hina Dolls
You can feel a warm, cozy atmosphere! Here are some ideas for paper-cut hina dolls.
What you’ll need: pink origami paper, light pink origami paper, gold origami paper, green origami paper cut into quarter-size pieces, red origami paper cut into quarter-size pieces, origami paper for templates, twine, red construction paper, a pencil, scissors, a craft knife, tape, a stapler, and a hole punch.
The hanging decorations made by cutting origami are delicate and charming, with a soft look, so they’re highly recommended.
Be sure to give it a try!
Dangling Hina dolls that sway, made with origami
The gently swaying Hina dolls are so cute! Here’s how to make a “tsurushi-bina” (hanging Hina decoration) using origami.
First, prepare chirimen-patterned origami paper.
Fold it into a triangle along the diagonal.
Fold one corner so it’s parallel to the base.
Fold the opposite corner the same way, then flip it over and fold down the top tip.
After attaching the facial parts, stick the doll onto a diamond-shaped hishimochi base made by tilting the origami diagonally.
Next, cut circles out of colored construction paper.
Make larger and smaller pieces and layer them to complete the hanging ornaments.
Attach yarn or another string to the ornaments, then attach the Hina doll underneath to finish! Adding decorations to the string makes it even cuter.
[For Kids] Decorations for Hinamatsuri! A Collection of Handmade Tsurushi-bina Ideas (11–20)
Hanging Hina Dolls Made with Yarn and Cardboard
We’d like to introduce a hanging Hina decoration made of yarn and cardboard—perfect for spring crafts thanks to the cozy feel of the yarn.
Prepare cardboard cutouts of the Emperor (obina) and Empress (mebina), about four types of yarn, colored pens, and small round stickers.
Wrap two types of yarn around the cardboard obina and mebina.
Make four small slits at the bottom with scissors to hold the yarn in place so it doesn’t slip.
The key is to wrap five times, cross the yarn, and then wrap five more times.
Switching up the yarn types as you go will give you your own unique mebina and obina.
Draw their faces with round stickers and colored pens, make additional ornaments, and enjoy Hinamatsuri!
Fluttering Lily-of-the-Valley Tape Hanging Hina Decoration
Let me introduce an idea for a cute, fluttering hanging Hina decoration.
Fold a rectangular sheet of construction paper in half vertically, and use double-sided tape to attach strands of raffia (suzuran tape) side by side on the inside.
Once you’ve finely split the raffia into thin strands, decorate the front of the paper with floral patterns.
Make the base of the Hina dolls’ bodies out of construction paper, then glue on small pieces of cut origami to create the kimono patterns.
After attaching the heads, stick the dolls onto the raffia.
Finally, add any parts you like around them—such as diamond-shaped Hishi-mochi—and you’re done.
Hanging Hina Dolls Made with Disposable Chopsticks and Straws
Let’s make a hanging Hina decoration using disposable chopsticks and straws.
First, use four chopsticks to create a square frame.
Then tie several strings vertically to the frame, threading straws and beads onto the strings.
Once you’ve made the Emperor and Empress dolls out of construction paper or origami paper, attach them to the strings and hang them from the frame.
Tie a cord to the top of the frame for hanging, and you’re done! Straws and beads come in various colors and shapes, so prepare options that the children will like.
You’re free to design the Emperor and Empress however you like! Using washi-patterned origami for the kimono parts will give it a nice traditional feel.
hand-drawn illustration
Naturally, tsurushi decorations require space to display and space to store.
But some people may be struggling because they can’t secure that space.
What I’d like to suggest is the idea of making hand-drawn tsurushi-hina.
This is a simple approach where you draw tsurushi-hina on paper or similar materials.
It’s simple and easy, yet the possibilities for expression are endless.
You could draw elaborate tsurushi-hina that would be difficult to actually display, or you could give them a look full of originality.
